Obituary for Don Shilling Don Shilling, 73, of Le Mars, Iowa passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, December 24, 2014 at Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars. Funeral services will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at All Saints Catholic Parish - St. Joseph Church in Le Mars, Iowa. Burial will follow at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday at Calvary Cemetery in Pocahontas, Iowa. Visitation will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, December 29, 2014 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Le Mars. The family will be present at 3:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. There will also be an hour of visitation at the church prior to the funeral on Tuesday.

Donald Wayne Shilling was born on November 12, 1941, in Shenandoah, Iowa, to Lloyd and Joyce (Whitehill) Shilling. He graduated from high school in Columbus, Nebraska and furthered his education at Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska. Don graduated with a master's degree in education.

On August 13, 1961, Don and Alexis Schwank were united in marriage at Columbus, Nebraska. Don taught and coached in Sidney and Harlan, Iowa before moving to Le Mars in 1974. Don started by coaching football in the junior high school along with teaching Industrial Arts. He took on the assistant boys' basketball coaching position and held that position for 20 years. Don began coaching track as an assistant in 1977. Two years later he became the boys' track coach, and in 1980, he became the boys' cross country coach. He also taught Physical Education and Driver's Education. Alexis passed away on March 15, 1989.

On July 21, 1991, Don and Barb Shimon were married in Okoboji, Iowa. They made their home in Le Mars while Don continued his coaching and teaching. He stopped coaching cross country in 2005 when he retired from teaching however, he continued to coach Bulldog track to this day.

Over the years, Don was named Northwest Iowa Coach of the Year a total of 18 times between his time with cross country and track. In 35 years as he coached track, the Bulldogs won seven straight district titles in the 1980's, four Lakes Conference championships and frequent showings at the state meets. Don also coached four individual state championships and two state winning relay teams. Most recently, Don was honored with a scholarship in his name. In 2013, the team won the state championship in the 4x200 relay and won the Lakes Conference by one point in 2014.

He will be greatly missed by his wife of 23 years, Barb of Le Mars, IA; mother Joyce of Tabor, IA; a daughter, Stacy Shepherd and her husband Brett of Villisca, IA; a daughter, Lindsey Wheatley of West Des Moines, IA; grandchildren, Landon and Addie; step-grandchildren, Avery and Jayleene; a brother, Jack Shilling of Phoenix, AZ; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father, Lloyd; wife, Alexis; and his son, Tyler on June 5, 2010.

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